Tire-inflating means.



PATEN'IED OUT. 24, 1905.

G. A. BOBEIOIL TIRE INFLATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 (Odfizeasea No. 802,905. PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. G. A. BOBRIGK.

TIRE INPLATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1904.

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tiously inflating the tires of automobiles and the like.

it further object of the invention is to do with the necessity ol' using pumps or similar appliances on the automobile or vehi cle tor inflating the tires.

Another object oi" the invention is to inflate the tires in such manner that they will not have to be inllated so often as is now customary.

Another object of the invention is to pre vent to a large extent deterioration of the ruin her tires by the action oi the compressed air and moisture carried into the tire during infiation.

According to my invention the tires are in listed With carbon-dioaid gas which, owing to its greaterdensity and its lack of amnity for caoutchouc, does not leak through the tire so rapidly as atmospheric air would. The use of air is open to the objection that in course oi time the rubber becomes hardened by the action of the air, whereas with carbon dionid no such effect occurs and the rubber is'preserved, being protected from the action or the air by the carbon dioirid which fills its pores. The carbon dlOXiCl will be stored at high pressure, and on its release it will exert a powerful refrigerating eflect by its expansion.

A further object oi my invention is to avoid any difficulty as to clogging of the valves due to such refrigeration and also avoid the possibility of the rubber tubing used in rushing connections being rendered brittle by extreme cold.

The invention com prises means for the star-- and transportation oi carbon dioirid', prei erably in liquid form, means for delivery of the carbon-dioirid or carbonic-acid gas at proper pressure to the tires, and means tor warming the to prevent clogging oi the communications by reirigeration in enpan sion.

invention.

ll igure i is a side elevation oil a lorm oi my a combustion or The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention ied in connection with the water tanlr oi an automobi driven by an internal i engine, the parts not di rectly associated '1 my invention being rep resented in brolren lines, li ig, d! is'a similar view showing the invention applied to an automobile driven by an air-cooled internal'com bastion engine. i i El is a side elevation oi a term oi my invention adapted ior steaun automobiles. W

i W, ll is a plan oi a iorm oi the apparatus snitab e for automobiles, such as electric automobiles, hav ng no water-tanlr or circulating system and no errhriustunuliler,

li ig. 5 is side elevation oi portable tire-- ini iating apparat s embodying my invention,

lh'telierring to li 'ig. l, the body of an auto mobile is indicated at l in brolren lines, El designating the tanlr ilor the circulating cooling water of the propelling internal-combustion engine. (Not shown) A tank, reservoir, or receptacle 3 is suitably supported on the autoinobileand is con nested, through a hand-valve t, a reducing valve 5, and a pipe or conduit t, with a nozale or coupling "l, adapted "tor insertion or' coupling into the tire-valveol any one ol the automobile-wheels. To enable such coupling, an extension or part 8 of such conduit is made ileirible, being, for example, a rubber hose oi suficient length to reach any one oi the wheels.

A union or detachable coupling 9 is desirably provided between the tank 3 and the pipe connection on the vehicle, prelcrably between the cut-0d valve l and the reducingyalve 5, and the tank itself is made detachable from the vehicle, being supported by yokes or clamps 10, which may be loosened by the lastening devices or nuts ii to allow the tank to be removed therefrom.

A; throttle-valve in is connected in the conduit aloresaid and located in position tor convenient access by the chautleur, for calmple, in front oi the seat or back ot' the hood. it detachable coupling or union is is provided ior this valve and the ileirible tubing 8, so that when said tubing is not in use it may, it desired, be uncoupled and placed in another part of the vehicle.

it pressure gage i3 is connected to'pipe ti, preierably between throttle i2 and the re ducing-valve 5, and is located in position for convenient inspection. The reducing-valve should be set to maintain the-proper pressure, shown by this gage. The carbon dioirid issuing through this redncingwalve, owing to ll llilll the release of pressure, would drop in tem-. perature to such an extent as to freeze and render brittlethe flexible rubber pipe leading to the tires and also to partly solidify and clog the fine needle-valves. 'To obviate this, a part 14 of the conduit is formed as a heating or warming portion, being, for example, a coil immersed in the water-tank 20f the automobile above referred to. The expanding gas will absorb heat from the water, thereby not only preventing undue cooling of the gas, but aiding in cooling the water. Couplings or unions .26 are provided connecting this coil portion 14 to the pipe 6 to facilitate assembling the-parts.

In case the automobile is not provided with a water-cooler, but with-a fan, as in what is commonly known as air-cooled internal-combustion engines, as indicated at 17 in Fig. 2,

the warming-coil 14 for the carbon-dioxid gas may be arranged between the blower and the engine 18, as'therein shown, the other parts being the same as in Fig. 1.

In applying my invention to a steam-automobile the warming-coil 14 may be inserted either in the water-tank or in the path of the exhaust-steam from the engine, being, for example, asshown in Fig. 3, inclosed in the muffler-casing 19, having an inlet 20, leading from the :exhaust ofthe engine, (not shown,) and an outlet 21,,a' drip-trap or drainagevalve 22 being provided at the bottom of the casing, or the connections for a steam-automobile may be as in Fig. 1, wherein the tank about sixty tires to the proper pressure.

2 may be the water-tank.

\Nhen the-automobile is not provided with any cooling meansfor example, in the case of an electric automobilethen special means for warming the carbon-dioxid gas may be provided. For example, as shown in Fig. 4,

- a water-tank 23 may be provided, through which'the warming-coil 1.4 is passed.

In some cases it will be desirable to make the apparatus portable,so that it can be placed on or takenofi of 'any automobile. A convenient form for this purpose is shown in Fig.

- parts. Said vessel or tank may be filled with water.

The reducing-valve 5, throttle-valve 12, and pressure-gage 13 are located at the outside of the box for convenient inspection at all times. A coupling 15is provided for connecting the flexible tubing 8 with the end of the pipe leading from the. warming-coil and throttlevalve.

27 is a vent.

In using the device the cylinder or reservoir 3 is charged with carbon dioxid, preferably in liquid form, and the charged cylinder will be inserted in place in the supports 10 and connected to the tubing 8 by means of the in the usual manner of such devices.

union 9. Valve 4 is then opened to allow the gas to pass through the reducing-valve 5 and the warming-coil 14-. to the throttle 12,

the latter being generally closed and the reducing-valve being adjusted so that it will antomatically regulate the flow of gas to a pressure suitable for inflating tires. When any tire needs inflation.the flexible tubing 8 is con= neeted with the throttle-outlet, and atits other end it is connected with the tire of the wheel The throttle being then opened, gas under pressure is allowed to flow into the tire until it is properly inflated and the throttle is then closed, the flexible tubing being then either removed or coiled out of the way.

One pound of liquid carbon dioxid will furnish about eight cubic feet of gas at 32 Fahrenheit. The density of CO2 gas as compared with air is about 1.52, or half again as dense as air, and therefore, according to the law of effusion, its liability to leak out through the pores and small punctures in the rubber will 'be less than with air. Furthermore, the carbon dioxid being a non-oxidizing gas will preserve the rubber, or at least will be without deteriorating effect thereon in contrast to air, which exerts a constant oxidizing and hardening effect upon the rubber, especially when the air contains moisture. The average automobile-tire has a capacity of about one cubic foot of free air at a pressure of about sixty pounds to the square inch. Agallon of liquid CO2 will therefore completely inflate This will require a cylinder of about three and onehalf inches diameter by twenty-four inches long,insidemeasurements. Thecylinder may be made of cold-drawn steel, and owing to the small diameter the metal will only have to be slightly over one-eighth inch thick. It will therefore be seen that the weight and space taken up by the device are not such as to materially affect the weight of the vehicle or to be cumbersome. Liquid CO2 costing about ten cents per pound, the cost of inflating tires is negligible as compared to the advantages and the saving of labor. One gallon cylinder of CO2 if properly used will last about one year.

What I claim is 1. Means for inflating tires comprising a tank for holding gas under pressure, a valve connected thereto, a reducing-valve, a flexible tube and a coupling adapted to detachably connect with the valve of the tire and a valve between the reducing-valve and the tire-valve.

2. Means for inflating tires comprising a tank for containing liquid carbon dioxid, a reducing-valve connected thereto, a warming means connected with said valve, and a flexible connection therefrom having a detachable coupling for establishing communication from the valve to a tire.

3. Means for inflating tires, comprising a season tank for containing liquid carbon dioxid, a reducing-valve connected with said tank, a warming means connected to said valve, a throttle connected to said warming means, and a flexible tube connected to said throttle.

4. Means for inflating tires, comprising a tank for containing liquid carbon dioxid, a reducing-valve connected with said tank, a warming means connected to said valve, a throttle connected to said warming means, and a flexible tube detachably connected to said throttle.

5 Tire-inflating means for automobiles, comprising supporting means, a liquid-carbon-dioxid receptacle removably mounted in said supporting means, a pipe on the automobile having a tire-supplying connection and a detachable coupling between the receptacle and said pipe.

6. In an automobile having a propelling means and heat-dissipating means therefor, a tire-inflating means comprising a receptacle for liquid carbon dioxid, a valve connected to said receptacle, a conduit from said valve having a part located in position to receive heat from the heat-dissipating means and a flexible connection from said conduit having a detachable coupling for connection with .a tire.

7. In an automobile having a propelling means and heat-dissipating means therefor, including a water-tank, a tire-inflating means comprising a receptacle for liquid carbon dioxid, a valve connected to said receptacle, and a connection from said valve havinga part located in said water-tank to receive heat from the heat-dissipating means.

8. in an automobile, driven by a gas-engine and provided with a water-cooler for the gasengine, a tire-inflating means comprising a receptacle for liquid carbon dioxid, a valve connected to said receptacle, and a connection from said valve having a part located in said water-cooler.

9. Means for inflating tires comprising a tank for holding gas under pressure, a valve connected thereto, a reducing-valve detachably connected to said valve, a flexible tube having a coupling adapted to detachably connect with the valve of the tire, and a connection between said tube and the reducing-valve.

.10. Means for inflating tires comprising a tank for holding gas under pressure, a valve connected thereto, a-reducing-valve detachably connected to said valve, a flexible tube having a coupling adapted to tietachably connect with the valve of the tire and a valve between the reducing-valve and the tire-valve.

11. Means for inflating tirescomprising a tank for holding gas-under pressure, a valve connected thereto. a flexible tube and a coup- ]ingadapted to detachably' connect with the valve of the tire, and a pressuregage between the valve of the tank and the tire-valve to indicate the pressure at which the tire is to be inflated.

12. Means for inflating tires comprising a tank for holding gas under pressure, a valve connected theretoQa reducing-valve, a tube and a coupling adapted to detachably connect with the valve of the tire and a pressuregage between the reducing-valve and the tirevalve.

13. Tire-inflating means for automobiles, comprising supporting means, a receptacle for holding gas under 'pressure, detachably mounted on said sup-porting means, a valve connected to said tank, a flexible tube and a coupling adapted to detachably connect with the valve of the tire and a pressure-gage between the valve of the tank-and thetire-valve.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification, in the presence of two sub scribing witnesses, at LosAngeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of nia, this 23d day of May. 1904:.

GABRIEL A. BOBRICK. In presence of- I ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, JULIA TOWNSEND.

Ualifo'r 

